Kendrapada: The half-eaten body of a 48-year-old woman dragged into the flood-swollen Brahmani river by a saltwater crocodile was recovered from a mudflat under Rajnagar forest range of Bhitarkanika National Park on Tuesday evening, officials said.The deceased, identified as Suchitra Das of Damodarapatana village under Pattamundai block, was attacked while taking a bath in the river on Monday morning. She worked as a cook at Alapua High School. Forest officials said the recovered body bore multiple crocodile bite marks, and a major portion had been consumed by the reptile.Rajnagar forest range officer Chittaranjan Beura said a joint team of the forest department and fire services carried out an intensive search operation before locating the mutilated body. The body was later sent to the govt hospital in Jajpur for post-mortem examination.The officer said the victim is survived by her husband and two sons. The forest department will provide ex gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family after completion of inquiry. He also urged residents to avoid entering rivers and other water bodies in the area, warning that public safety cannot be guaranteed in crocodile-infested waters.The forest department has issued a helpline number (9938914101) and appealed to villagers to immediately report presence of crocodiles so that rescue teams could respond promptly and capture the reptiles, if necessary.Bhitarkanika, a vast expanse of mangrove forests and saltwater swamps, is home to around 1,858 saltwater crocodiles, according to this year’s reptile census. Forest officials said repeated warnings have been issued to riverside communities against entering rivers, creeks and other water bodies around the national park because of the high concentration of estuarine crocodiles.Human-crocodile conflict has intensified in villages surrounding Bhitarkanika in recent years. Officials said crocodile attacks have claimed six lives in the past 17 months, 16 over the past three years, and 32 during the past 51 months.Local residents said crocodiles are being spotted more frequently in rivers near villages after straying from Bhitarkanika’s waterways. “A large number of riverside villagers depend on fishing for their livelihood, but the growing crocodile menace has put their lives and livelihoods at constant risk,” said Arabinda Mandal, former sarpanch of Jamboo gram panchayat.
